


The Poseidon Adventure

by romanticalgirl



Series: Disaster [1]
Category: Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-10
Updated: 2013-03-10
Packaged: 2017-12-04 22:15:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/715695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romanticalgirl/pseuds/romanticalgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's got to be a morning after.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Poseidon Adventure

He stands to the side of the room as Veronica gives her statement in a flat voice. Leo is taking everything down, scratching it out on his pad like he’s a policeman in a movie or on TV as opposed to a real cop who just lets the tape do it all, makes the suspect forget it’s even there.

The smart-ass, sarcastic lilt isn’t there as she recounts her search for Lilly Kane’s killer. He senses more than hears the digs at the local law enforcement, how her father was right all along, how Abel Koontz is no one’s killer, but it’s just not the same in the monotone that’s droning on and on in the interrogation room.

Leo ends things and she sits there for a minute silently. He hems and haws around their relationship – which he clearly assumes Lamb doesn’t know about, but he does. Oh, he does – and then leaves the room, his eyes widening as he sees Lamb standing there. He scurries back to his desk with a sidelong look back at the door, no doubt wondering if Veronica is the lamb in this particular slaughter.

“Oh, goody.” The lilt still isn’t there, but her eyes flash when she sees him. “If it isn’t the clown prince of Neptune’s Finest.”

“As I recall, your daddy wasn’t right about this one either, doll.” He sits opposite her and taps his fingers on the scarred table. “Though I have to give him credit. He managed to get the tax bracket right.”

“Which is a hell of a lot more than you did. Or did the pay-off to Abel Koontz count in your math?”

He leans forward and smiles at her, slow and easy. It’s the same smile he used to wear for Lilly when he fucked her, preferably on the hood of his squad car. “So, we know that Lilly was having sex with Aaron Echolls. We know that Aaron Echolls liked young girls. We know that you did everything Lilly did.”

“I didn’t do half the things Lilly did.” Veronica’s voice snaps as she meets his mocking gaze.

“Oh yeah, that’s right. You were a sweet, little innocent, weren’t you?”

“Yeah.” She gets to her feet. “I solved that mystery too. Maybe you might want to consider another line of work.”

He stands as well, following closely behind her. She reaches for the door and he grabs her arm, pushing her up against the hard wooden surface. “Is that your way of telling me you won’t be voting for me in the next election?”

She looks down at his hand curled around her arm. “I’m telling you something, Deputy.”

“Sheriff.”

She shrugs off his grip. “Let’s see if you can figure out what it is.”

**

He rarely sleeps in his bedroom. Most of the time he doesn’t sleep at all, or if he does it’s on his couch in front of the TV that’s a testament to how greased his palms are. He uses his second bedroom for fucking if she’s got a roommate or they need room for a friend of hers and her dorm bed just isn’t going to cut it. He’s filled it with enough toys, lotions, lingerie and condoms to make a whorehouse look bad. 

His bedroom is where he thinks, where his computer is and where, when it all gets to be too much, he strips down and jerks off to the thought of Veronica Mars. He hates himself every time but something about that blonde hair and those wide eyes and that smart mouth makes him hard every time he sees her. He fucks mindless women, but he wants to fuck the only blonde with a brain that he’s ever met. He knows she’s off limits and that makes him want her more.

The last time he fucked Lilly, she was bored and he was bored, even though the sex was mind-blowing. He had fast and dirty often enough that even someone as adventurous as Lilly couldn’t make it new and exciting. So she’s started talking about Veronica – yes, the Sheriff’s sweet, innocent, little girl – and how fun it would be to kidnap her and handcuff her to the bed and how both of them could take advantage of her. She’s talked about Veronica’s mouth on her pussy and Veronica’s hot cunt around his cock and they’d both come so hard and fast it had taken forever to catch their breath. 

“Can you arrange it?” She’d asked afterwards, smiling a smile that made him hard despite everything they’d just done. “Pull her over for some minor infraction? Lock her in the back of your squad car for disturbing the peace or something?”

“She’d have her dad cut my balls off with my own badge.”

“Oh,” Lilly had purred and stroked his cock, “but it would be worth it.”

He’d agreed in the middle of another orgasm but then Lilly was dead and Veronica wasn’t the same sweet young thing they’d talked about. She was something more and something better – a mix of who she’d been and who Lilly had thought she could be, and he wanted her something fierce.

He sheds his uniform and undershirt on the back of the chair as he walks past. The beer is cold and the room is hot, so he turns on a fan and sits down. The TV warms up and flashes naked breasts at him, two blondes with tits the size of basketballs finger-fucking each other with fingernails longer than his dick. He doesn’t even bother to unzip his fly – there’s nothing on TV tonight he wants to jerk off to. He picks up his beer and walks into his bedroom, lying back on the cool black sheets.

He wonders if that flat voice is all he has to look forward to now. Wonders if now that Lilly’s murderer is caught he won’t see her around the squad room. He wonders if the new Veronica Mars is gone now that her life is back to normal and her best friend is resting in peace. His concerns about his job run parallel but second, but his job is tangled up in her father, tangled up in her and he wants to be tangled up in her. 

He’s imagined those sweet, creamy white thighs spread on his bed, black sheets in stark relief like a underdeveloped picture. He’s imagined taking her camera and snapping photograph after photograph of her on his bed. He’s imagined fucking her, but it’s never the act itself that makes it worth it to him. 

As much as he hates to admit it, he doesn’t want to fuck Veronica Mars so much as he wants her to fuck him. He doesn’t want to have her so much as he wants to own her. He wants Veronica Mars in his bed – and more.

**

The doorbell rings and he rips himself out of sleep. His beer sits mostly untouched on the nightstand and the sheets are wet with sweat. He curses under his breath and stumbles to the door, the fading images of his dream lingering just out of his vision. He opens the door and glares into the sun. He’s wearing boxer briefs and a hard on and he hopes the fucking Mormons are going to get an eyeful. “What?”

“Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?”

His gun swells as Veronica’s eyes linger on it. He grips the doorframe hard enough that his fingers hurt. “Sunk to selling Avon to pay the bills, Mars?”

She looks up at him, and it’s worse than her looking at his cock. He feels his whole body respond – nipples hard, hair standing on end, cock and balls throbbing – and raises an eyebrow. She smiles slowly and he curls his hands even tighter in their grip to keep from grabbing her. Her voice is deceptively light, innocent though her eyes are most definitely not. “I need a favor.”

“Really.” He drawls the word, repayment plans echoing in his head. “Local law enforcement doesn’t do favors, Mars.”

“Local law enforcement might want to hear me out, as they’re not doing so well in the win column this year.” She brushes past him into his apartment and he bites his tongue as her hand feathers against his thigh. He closes the door and leans against it, wondering if he trusts her in his apartment enough to leave her alone while he gets dressed.

She leans over his chair and grabs the remote, turning off the soundless porn that’s still showing. Different girls, different fingernail polish finger-fucking on some African safari this time. “Come in. Make yourself at home.”

“Yeah, nothing says home like bad porn.” She turns around and leans against the chair, her ass resting against his uniform. He wants to come so badly it hurts. “As much as I appreciate the strip show, Deputy, I prefer doing business when everyone’s fully clothed.”

“Depends on the business, Mars.” He lobs a smirk at her and shrugs. “Can I trust you to be a good girl, or should I handcuff you to the door to keep you out of mischief?”

She holds out her hands. “Whatever would make you feel safer.”

Handcuffing her would require pressing up against her to reach the bracelets on his belt and he knows if he does that, he won’t leave the haven of her body. He’ll do something stupid like kiss her or touch her and he knows he’s not stable enough to hear her say stop or no or don’t or, god forbid, yes.

“You want to wait outside then?”

“You have something to hide?” She gestures toward the TV. “Other than your lack of taste?”

He glares at her, holding her mocking gaze. “Just don’t touch anything.”

Her eyes flicker down to his waist and he snaps his teeth together to keep from saying something he’s likely to regret. “Don’t worry, Sheriff. I won’t touch a thing.”

**

He closes his bedroom door and leans back on it, the smooth wood hard against his back. He curses under his breath – goddamn her! – and rubs his hand over his cock, closing his eyes as he imagines for a brief second it’s her hand, her mouth, her cunt. “Fuck,” he hisses between his teeth, pushing off the door and slamming into the bathroom. He strips and steps into the shower, turning the spray all the way to the right, nearly biting through his lip as the cold hits him.

“Everything okay in there, Deputy?”

“Fuck,” he shivers and adjusts the showerhead so it aims directly at his cock. He ignores her and slams his fist against the wall, bending his head until the heat of desire ebbs away under the onslaught of the shower. He snaps the water off and steps out, wrapping the towel around his waist, tucking the end in just as she speaks. 

“So, I have a business proposition for you.” 

He sucks in air and turns, leaning back on the counter and looking at her. She’s sitting on the top of the toilet, her feet on the seat cover, her eyes on his. He lets his gaze drift down then back up as he rests his palms against the cool marble. “One of these days, your nose for trouble is going to land you smack in the middle of something your smart mouth can’t handle.”

“But I’m here with you, so I know today won’t be that day.” She slaps her hands on her knees. “Now, can we get down to business?”

“We can discuss business after I have my pants on.” He pushes off the counter, feeling her eyes on the low-slung towel as he walks into his bedroom. “Your little intimidation tactics aren’t going to work on me, Mars.”

“I can see why you’d feel intimidated.” She waves her pinkie at him and slides off the toilet and onto her feet. She leans against the doorjamb and watches as he slides a pair of boxer briefs on under the towel then tosses it onto a chair beside the door. Veronica sits on the edge of the bed, and he feels his entire body tense as he pulls on his jeans, her eyes following the denim upwards. 

“Well?”

She shakes her head slightly. “What? You want a critique?”

He almost smiles. “No, Mars. I want to know what you’re doing here in my house, in my bedroom. If you’re not careful, I might think you expect me to buy you breakfast.”

“I’ve seen your refrigerator.” She gets to her feet and heads for the door. “It might be best for both of us if you do.” 

**

She stands outside his house, leaning against her car. “I’ll drive.”

“You really think I’d ride in a car with you?” Lilly’s voice haunts his thought for a moment. “Other than if you were locked in the back seat where you belong.”

Her lower lip slides out in a pout. “Oh, Deputy. You’re hurting my feelings.” Her lip slides back in to form her smile. “Besides, I’m innocent until proven guilty.”

“Your father probably believes that.”

Her face hardens and she crosses her arms over her chest. “Leave my father out of this.”

“I will,” he agrees. “On one condition.”

Her eyebrow lifts. “What?”

“Call me Sheriff.”

She tilts her head and smiles slowly. “All right. Sheriff.”

He matches her smile and nods toward his car. “I’ll drive.”

“You honestly think I’d set foot in that obvious statement about the size of your cock?” She shakes her head, tsking softly. “What do you say I meet you at Poseidon’s?”

He glances at her short denim skirt then back up. “Nothing goes down better?”

She shrugs one shoulder. “I’m sure you’d know better than I would.” She opens her door and waves her keys at him. “You’re buying.”

**

He sits in front of the pancake house and watches as she gets out of her car. The shower had been a temporary respite, but his hard-on is back in full force. He knows better than to follow her inside – she’s smart, she’s clever and she’s likely to twist his balls into a knot while she sticks a knife in his back. That said, he knows there’s no way he isn’t going to find out what this is about, even if he sends half the clientele scattering just by walking in the door.

He steps inside and spots her immediately, glancing through the tacky t-shirts that they attempt to sell to the tourists who make a wrong turn. “I always suspected you were a cheap date, Mars.”

“Being drugged and raped doesn’t make me cheap, De…Sheriff.” She manages a tight smile. “It just makes me easy. Besides,” she turns and links her arm through his, “you have no idea what I’m going to order.”

“I’m pretty sure you and Poseidon won’t be breaking the bank.” He nods toward the tired girl staring impatiently at them. “Shall we?”

“I hope you brought your appetite.”

He glances down at her, his eyes hot. “Be careful what you wish for, Mars.”

**

She stabs her smiley face pancake right between the eyes and smiles at Lamb. “So.”

“No wonder you can’t keep a boyfriend. Though I guess that’s nicer than what you did to Echolls.” He nods toward the pancake. “At least he saw it coming.” He pours syrup on his stack. “You gonna eat your cherry?” She grabs it and sticks her tongue out, dropping the maraschino onto it and closing her lips around it, tugging at the stem. “So, as much as I enjoy your company, Mars, you mind telling me why we’re here?”

“I told you, I need a favor.” She finishes her cherry and scoops up the whipped cream and chocolate chip that serve as her pancake’s eye. “I have a friend.”

“Hard to believe these days.”

“She’s run into a little trouble.”

“Not so hard to believe.”

“She works at a club down south, just outside of Neptune’s jurisdiction.” She slides her fork into her mouth and sucks it clean. “The club seems to cater to men – mid-thirties and older – and young women.” 

“As long as they’re of age or have ID that claims they’re of age, I don’t see the problem, Mars. And, since you so cleverly pointed out it’s out of my jurisdiction, I don’t see why I should care.”

“The problem isn’t that the club caters to May-December romances, Sheriff,” she fills the word with more contempt than she has ever laced the Deputy with. “The problem is that the girls show up with the guys but they don’t leave with them.” 

“Couple swapping isn’t really my forte, Mars.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen the girls you date, for lack of a better word. They can’t even count to two.” She reaches across her plate and spears a link of his sausage. “My friend asked a few questions and got threatened anonymously for her trouble. She thinks they’re selling the girls.”

“You’re kidding.”

She bites hard into the sausage link, smiling as his body flinches slightly. “Not even close.”

“You’ve got no evidence, this isn’t my jurisdiction and nobody’s done anything more than warn your friend off?” He reaches across and steals the other eye of her smiley face and eats it, his teeth crunching through the chocolate chip. Leaning in, he shakes his head. “Why should I care, Mars?”

“Because you need a bust to do something to hide the black eye your department has right now. You need something to make you look good.”

“And why would you want to give that to me?” He leans back, the light dawning. “Your dad.”

“I told you, he stays out of this.”

”What? He wants to run for Sheriff again? And you don’t want him to?” He runs his tongue along the inside of his lip and nods. “So you want me to be the golden boy of Neptune so he doesn’t have a chance. What’s the matter, Mars? Afraid to play detective when your daddy’s in charge?”

“Will you help me?”

“You’ve got nothing, Mars.”

“But I could get something.” She reaches across and touches her fingers to the back of his hand. “We could get something. Off-duty.” She inhales and slowly releases the breath. “Off the record.”

“You and me. Working together?”

“Yeah.” She puts her fork down and folds her hands in her lap looking for all the world like the 18 year old she actually is, younger even – like the girl Lilly used to know. “I know you don’t like me. And the feeling’s mutual. But I need someone who has a stake in this.”

“Why not get your lover-boy Leo?”

“I need someone who’d be willing to put me on the auction block without hesitation.” She shrugs. “Figuratively speaking.”

“No one in the world would buy us as a couple, Mars.” He stops, his body stiffening as he feels her foot run up the side of his leg. One hand fists against his thigh as the other tightens around his fork. 

“I’m afraid you’re wrong, Sheriff.” She slides her foot higher until it brushes the inside of his thigh. “Again.”

**

Leaning back in his chair, Lamb looks up at the ceiling and sighs. He has a week of vacation due to him and, as much as sitting on the beach looking at cheap girls in expensive bikinis sounds good, he has to admit that Veronica’s plan has a few advantages that the beach doesn’t. One advantage. 

“You’re fucking insane,” he reminds himself under his breath, shaking his head for even considering it. 

“You wanted to see me, Sheriff?” Leo stands at the door, his defenses up. 

“Leo. Have a seat.” He drops his feet off the edge of his desk and gestures to the seat opposite him. “I have a few concerns.”

“Oh?” 

“Rumor has it you were dating Veronica Mars for a bit.” He taps his pen on the papers in front of him meaningfully as if there’s something more than a vacation notification and a girlie magazine there. “That true?”

“My time off the clock has nothing to do with the department, Sheriff, so long as I don’t break any laws.” He puts his hands on the arms of the chair. “We done here?”

“Let me ask you this then. Veronica likes to make up stories to get what she wants. Trusting her is like putting your balls in a pit bull’s jaws.” He leans forward, watching Leo wince at the imagery. “How many times you get bitten, Leo?”

“I told you, it’s my business. Sheriff.”

“And yet you kept coming back for more. She must be sweet in the sheets.” Leo’s fist hits the edge of Lamb’s desk hard enough to send the cup of pencils and nameplate skittering across the floor. “Did I hit a nerve?”

“What do you want?”

“Do you trust her?”

Leo’s face falls and he looks away from Lamb’s gaze. “Yeah. She’s honest about stuff.”

“I need you to do something for me.”

“I’m not touching Veronica Mars for you.”

“Trust me, if I wanted her touched, D’Amato, I’d do it myself. I want you to ask her a question. And I want you to tell me if she’s telling the truth.” He levels his gaze, his voice. “Deputy.”

“Fine.” Leo’s jaw clenches. “What?”

“Ask her if she’s running a scam on me. Tell her that I’m barking like a mad dog at all of you any time someone mentions her name or the Echoll’s case. Find out.”

“What makes you think she’ll tell me?”

“Because,” Lamb’s voice echoes his grin, “she’s already got a taste of your balls.”

**

“You know, Sheriff, you hurt me.”

“Only in my dreams, Mars.” He shifts slightly as she leans against the car, her hip bumping his as she jostles for position. She folds her arms over her chest in a mimicry of his pose. “You didn’t honestly think I’d go into this blind, did you?”

“Does that mean you’re in this?”

“Up to my neck that you’re probably going to have me swinging by.” He reaches for the beer on the hood of his car and takes a long swig. “You realize if your father finds out about this, he’s not going to bother with my neck. He’s going to hang me by my dick.”

“I’ve heard it does wonders for the length.” She steals the beer from his hand and presses it to her lips before smiling and setting it aside without taking a drink. “So, we’re on?”

“We’re on.”

She smiles. “I’ll meet you here tomorrow at five. And,” she glances back at his car and shakes her head, “you might want to rent something a little less ‘I’ve got a small dick’ and more ‘I’ve got a small dick, but I have enough money to get a hot girl’.”

“How about I rent something like that when you find me a hot girl?”

“Ooh.” She frowns at him like he’s hurt her feelings. “Sheriff, are you trying to make me cry?”

His cock jumps slightly and he gives her a knowing smirk. “Mars, nothing would give me more pleasure.”

“They have a name for guys like you, you know.”

“I do.” He leans in and presses the tip of his nose lightly against hers before he can think about what he’s doing. “Sheriff.”

**

He stalks through his apartment like a caged animal as the clock inches toward five. He’s jerked off five times and taken three showers. The rental car – a Toyota Camry – sits in his driveway and he shakes his head wondering what it is about her that makes him do the stupidest things. 

He pulls a beer from the fridge and downs half of it in one long pull, trying to keep his mind from focusing on the fact that in less than an hour, he’s going to be alone in a car with Veronica Mars - _lock her in the back and fuck her senseless_ , Lilly’s voice whispers in his ear – and then he’s going to be sitting in a booth with Veronica Mars pretending they’re a couple.

“Fuck.”

He finishes the beer in another long drag and tosses the bottle, glancing at the clock to see if he has time for another shower or at least another quick jerk. He’s halfway to his bedroom when the doorbell rings. He strides over and opens it, about to snap when he sees her and sucks in his breath. 

“Holy shit.”

“Too much?”

She’s wearing a see-through white blouse with a red bra underneath and a skirt so short he could fuck her without moving an inch of fabric. “I thought we were going for subtle. I rented a fucking Camry, for fuck’s sake.”

“I thought we should get the lay of the land before I went in all demure and saleable.”

“Lay being the correct word here. Christ, Mars. No one’s going to be looking at anything other than your tits and your c…” He shakes his head violently. “This is a set-up, right? Your father’s outside with a shotgun or, better still, an arrest warrant?” He leans back against the back of the couch and stares at her, finally noticing the thick red hair of the wig she’s wearing. “I don’t like redheads.”

“Don’t worry. The carpet doesn’t match the curtains.” She puts her fists on her hips and glares at him. “Are you going to do this with me or not? Because if you’re not man enough, Sheriff…”

“You’re going to have every guy in the place watching you.”

“Which is what we want, so they don’t recognize you when you come back with your sweet, young blonde.”

“You don’t think they have video surveillance? You think they’re trafficking women and are just assuming everyone there is on the up and up?”

“Slap a moustache on then, Junior.” She glances at the gold watch around her wrist. “Time’s a-wastin’.”

“Fine.” He grabs his jacket off the couch and tosses it at her. “Put this on.”

“So gallant.”

He takes her arm and steers her toward the door. “You’re lucky I am a gentleman, Mars.”

“Wow. Did Webster update the definition of that word?”

He ushers her to the car and unlocks the door. She slides in and looks up at him, eyes the same under the wig. 

“How did I let you talk me into this?” he asks.

“You need me.”

Lamb slams the door and walks to his side of the car, muttering softly under his breath. “You’ve got no idea, Mars.”

**

“Camera there at the entrance,” Veronica’s body is pressed against his, his hands smoothing down her back to the curve of her ass and then back up. Her hand is on his thigh and she’s breathing on his neck. “Two bouncers at least.”

“There’s perimeter surveillance.” He’s surprised at how normal his voice sounds considering she’s practically on top of him. “What’s our plan for tonight?”

“Case the joint, Sheriff.” She turns her head slightly and her lips whisper against the skin below his ear. “Get the lay of the land, watch the movements of the employees.” She grins against him and pulls away slowly. He glances down and notices her hard nipples, wondering briefly how he’s going to walk the short distance to the door of the club. “Speaking of…” Her smile grows as she straightens her shirt, pulling it tight over her breasts. “This club? It’s sort of a strip-club.”

“The movements of the employees, hmm?” He smirks at her, shaking his head. “Your friend?”

“A waitress.” She leans in and touches her finger to his lips. “What do you say, Sheriff? Shall we go and pretend that you like me?”

“Maybe you should avoid calling me Sheriff in there, hmm?” Her finger stays against his lip as he speaks. “It might give the game away.”

“Can I call you Don?”

“I don’t know, Mars. Can you?” He gets out of the car and moves around to open the door for her, taking her hand as she holds it out to him. “And what should I call you? Betty?”

“Trixie.”

“You’re kidding, right?” He laughs and slides his arm around her small waist. His hard on is manageable – he’s on the job – but his brain backlogs the feel of her as his hand splays across her hip. “Why not Nancy?”

“Too obvious.” She grins up at him and, impulsively, he leans in, kissing her softly. She stumbles slightly, only his arm catching her. 

“Careful, Trix. You might get hurt.”

“I might look drunk.” She glares at him, eyes flashing in the faded yellow light. “Don’t do that.”

“What’s the matter, Mars?” he whispered the words in her ear, nipping at her earlobe. “Am I turning you on?”

“It might blow our cover if I got sick right here in front of everyone.”

“We’re not going to make a very convincing couple if I sit across the booth from you.” He stops and holds her still, his free hand flat against her stomach. “This is your plan, Mars. You want to stop it now, just say the word. I’ve got better things to do.” She meets his gaze and holds it. Her lips are pursed defiantly as he moves closer, his breath playing over her mouth. “Well?”

She licks his lips and smiles, though he can tell through the bolt of heat that shoots through him that it doesn’t reach her eyes. “What could possibly be better than this?”

“Doing my taxes?” He suggests with a low laugh. “Interrogating suspects? Jailing your slew of boyfriends? Sitting through a sexual harassment seminar given by Inga?”

Veronica laughs and pushes him away. He gets a good long look at her and shakes his head slowly with appreciation. “Slutty is a good look for you.”

“I’ll take that under advisement.” She moves toward him, her hips swaying. “Come on, Don. Let’s go play.” She links her arm through his, keeping him close but at a distance, and pulls him toward the door of the club, laughing huskily just loud enough to be heard. “Are you sure a nice girl like me should come to a place like this?”

“Darlin’, I can’t think of any place better.” He shares a look with the bouncer who smirks. “Hey there.”

“Four drink minimum. Keep your hands off the dancers.” The bouncer runs a metal wand over both of them, though Lamb’s unsure where Veronica could possibly be hiding anything. “No sex in the booths. Makes ‘em sticky.”

Veronica taps a finger against his huge chest. “Bill Clinton’s definition of sex? Or someone else’s?”

“Keep your hands and mouth to yourself, honey.”

Veronica sighs and looks at Lamb with a pout. “Sorry, darlin’. I guess I’m gonna have to be a good girl and wait until we get home.”

“He said no sex at the table, Trix. He didn’t say I couldn’t fuck you in the car.”

Veronica giggles and pushes him again then curls against him as he puts his arm around her. She rises up on her toes and whispers in his ear. “Touch me in the car and I’ll make you a eunuch.”

“Stop talkin’ dirty, Trix, or I’m not going to be able to help myself.” He licks the shell of her ear and laughs low, husky. “Coming, darlin’?”

“He just told me I couldn’t.” She pouts again and falls in step with him as they make their way into the dark club. Music pounds heavily and the place is filled; couples fill the booths and a ring of patrons surround the stage where a girl not much older than Veronica is bumping and grinding against the floor. Veronica nods toward a row of booths filled with older men and younger women. “There?”

“Not tonight.” He finds a booth not far from where she suggests and slides into it, pulling her against him. “There’s a guard at the edge of that section. He doesn’t look like one, but I bet if we tried to get in there tonight, we’d be ever so politely turned away.” He lets his gaze slide down her body again. “You look too old tonight. Did you see the girls?”

“Yeah.” Veronica bites at her lower lip then sucks on it. He reaches down and presses against his cock, adjusting it in his jeans. “They barely look old enough to drive.”

“They probably aren’t.” He smiles at the waitress as she stops in front of their table, letting his appreciation show for her obviously enhanced, bare breasts. “I don’t suppose those are on the menu?”

“Don!” Veronica gasps and slaps him on the arm, harder than he expects. “You’re terrible.”

“Don’t blame me, honey. I just thought maybe she was offering a taste of the nightly special.” He smoothes his hand along her thigh. “If I can’t have you, baby…”

“Keep asking questions like that and you won’t have me, baby,” she threatens with a laugh. “I’ll have a cosmopolitan.”

“Two fingers of bourbon. No ice.” He eyes the waitress’s bored look. “And make sure it’s the good stuff.”

“Cost ya.”

“Everything does.” He grins. “Except my little Trixie here.”

“Oh, I don’t know, Don. I might rack up an expense or two.” She runs her fingernails up his thigh and he swallows hard. “Though I’m definitely worth it.” She leans in and lets her hand slide higher, edging dangerously toward his cock. “Don’t you think?”

“No sex,” the waitress reminds them as she turns around, her shorts curving tightly over her ass. 

“Shit, Mars,” he breathes, catching her hand and putting it back on her lap. “Undercover means we try and lay low.”

“We’re not doing anything half the other couples aren’t.” She rests her chin in her hand and her elbow on the table. “They don’t look unhappy.”

“The girls? Probably compensated for their presence.” He nods toward the one closest to them. “Look at the rock on her hand.”

“We’re not that far from Neptune. Half the 09ers have rocks like that.” 

“Yeah, well, half the 09ers are fucking older men too. So should we just go home?” The waitress approaches them and sets their drinks on the table. He slides a tip across the table, keeping his finger on it until the waitress tilts her head and sticks her hand on her hip. 

“You’re not getting a taste of anything.”

“What’s with the special section?”

“If you have to ask, you can’t afford to know.” She pulls the tip from beneath his hand. “You want three more of these and a bill or you just want to run up a tab?”

“Whatever the lady wants.” He glances at Veronica and smiles, his gaze drifting down to her breasts. Her nipples are hard and tight beneath the lacy red fabric. Lowering his voice, he takes the hand she has resting on his thigh and slides it higher. “What do you want?”

“Let’s buy them all now, so we can leave if the mood takes us.” She winks at him and squeezes his thigh. “I don’t want to wait all night.”

The waitress turns as leaves as the music changes and the stage goes black. Veronica nods toward the platform lowering from the lights. “My friend.”

“Your friend’s a stripper?”

“They can’t all be in the police department.” She leans in closer, dropping her voice despite the increasing beat of the music. “Don’t tell me you’re honestly surprised by my close personal relationship with the criminal element.”

“Nothing about you surprises me.” He watches her take a drink of her cosmopolitan and shakes his head. “If we get pulled over and you’re drunk, I’m telling everyone I found you and I’m taking you back to your Daddy.”

“So my daddy can kill you?”

“That would hurt his chances of becoming Sheriff.”

“I don’t know,” she took another drink. “You might be overestimating your own popularity.”

**

“Come on, Mars,” he whispers in her ear as she stumbles against him, staggering slightly in her high heels. “You’re drunk.”

“Mmm. Maybe.” She falls back against the Camry as he fishes the keys out of his pocket. 

“It’s not going to be much of a fact-finding mission if you’re too wasted to remember your own name.”

“I know my name.” She trails a finger down his chest, hooking it beneath one of the buttons. “Even more important, I know yours. It’s what I’m going to scream tonight, right?”

“What are you doing?”

“Audience,” she smiles and leans into him, following a quick flicker of her tongue across his lips with a kiss. “They’re watching us.”

“And you’re a little exhibitionist?”

“Come on, Sheriff. They think you want to fuck me in your car. They think you can’t wait to get your hands on me. Are you going to be all prim and proper and make them suspect that maybe we’re not what we seem to be? Or are you going to act like this,” she runs her free hand over the swell of his erection, “is more than just for show?”

“You’re drunk.”

“Not so drunk that I can ride you for a suitable amount of time and then fake an orgasm.” She squeezes gently then harder. “I fake everything else with you, Sheriff. Surely this won’t hurt.”

He opens the passenger door and slides in, tugging her in after him. She straddles him and wraps her arms around his neck, settling her ass on his thighs. Her skirt rides up even higher until heat pools against him through his jeans and she wriggles closer. “Mars…”

“I promise not to hurt you.” She grabs a fistful of his hair and jerks his head back. “Too much.”

Lamb growls deep in his throat and fits his hand to the nape of her neck, pulling her closer. He opens his mouth to say something then shakes his head, his hand gentling as he brings her against him, fitting his mouth over hers.

His tongue snakes past her lips and slides into the heat of her mouth. A soft sound melts against his tongue and his free hand slips around her waist and down to the curve of her ass. He flips the short hem of her skirt higher and cups his hand over the thin scrap of fabric that’s barely covering her. Veronica shifts closer, grinding down against him as he explores her mouth, tasting vodka and sugar and her. 

He squeezes her ass and they both groan, sounds slipping out without consent. Veronica hitches higher on him, and she’s moving over him. Heat burns through the denim as she rides him, stealing the kiss from him and sucking on his tongue. His hand slips down from her neck and finds her breast, rubbing his thumb over the nipple. She gasps and breaks the kiss, pulling back long enough to look at him with hazy eyes. 

“I don’t like you,” she breathes.

“The feeling’s mutual.” He brings his hand off her ass around between them and finds her clit with his thumb. He barely touches it, the slightest pressure on the hard nub and she lets her head fall back, her hands scrabbling against his chest as she comes. His body jerks in response and he leans back into the seat, putting distance between them to keep himself from going over the edge with her. He’s breathing hard and her nails are digging into his skin through his shirt and his fingers are wet from her orgasm.

Tears glisten in her wide eyes as she looks at him. “Oh.”

“Let’s get you home, Mars.” His hands tremble slightly as he guides her off him. She holds onto the car door for support as he swings out of the car, crowding close to her as he stands. “Sit down before you fall down.”

She licks her swollen lips and lets him help her into her seat. He closes the door after her and takes a deep breath, wondering briefly what it would cost to get a copy of the videotape spooling not 20 feet from the car. As he sinks into the driver’s seat, he looks over at her. “You all right?”

She nods. “No.”

“Am I going to have to worry about this?”

She turns to face him, eyes flashing defiantly. “No.”

He turns the key and feels the car thrum beneath them. “It’s a valid question given my knowledge of your sexual experience.”

“You’re an asshole.”

“Yeah. And yet you still came to me for help. What’s that say about you?”

**

“We’re being followed.” Sighing, Lamb taps his fingers against the steering wheel. “Apparently our show wasn’t convincing enough.”

“Pull in there.”

“That’s private property, Mars.”

“I know.” She turns just enough to put a hand on his shoulder, leans in. “It’s the back road to the Kane’s guest house. It’ll establish you as wealthy enough to befriend the Kane’s and it’ll give us a place to hide out until they’re satisfied.” 

“And the Kanes?”

“Well, Duncan’s parents are hiding out in the mountains and Duncan’s at the Neptune Grand.”

“And you just happen to have a key?”

“Yeah. Lilly…” She looks away from his eyes in the rear-view mirror. “Lilly and I used to go there.”

 _I know the perfect place_ , Lilly had whispered.

“Great.” He pulls up in front of the house that’s at least five times larger than his own, but less than half the size of the Kane’s actual home. “Here we are.”

She fishes into her purse and pulls a small ring of keys out, handing them to him. “Be careful with that. I wouldn’t want you to lose the key to my diary.”

“And here I was hoping you were offering me the key to your heart.” He gets out of the car and walks around to her side, easing her door open. “Since Daddy probably has the key to your chastity belt.”

“We’re leaving him out of this, remember?” She laces her fingers through his as he leads the way to the house. “And once the doors are closed and they hurry on their merry way to find out where we are and who we’re connected to, no one will be around to see me beat that into your skull if necessary.”

“Too bad you’re not quite scary enough to pull off those threats, Mars. Or are you going to call in your biker friends to do your dirty work?” He unlocks the door and holds it open for her. “Ladies first.”

“Age before beauty.”

He reaches over and pinches her hard on the ass, smiling as she lets out a sharp shriek. “Get inside, Mars.”

“Bastard.”

“Yeah. It’s part of my charm.” He follows her inside and closes the door, locking it behind them. “What do you think? A call to the big boss and a run on the license plate?”

“Rental, right?”

“Fake plate.” He walks over to the bar and pours himself a drink, downing it quickly. “I borrowed one from the office.”

“Wow. Isn’t that a crime?”

“No more so than taking an underage girl into a strip club, plying her with drinks and then breaking into her dead best friend’s house to hide from a bunch of crooks.” He pulls another glass free. “You want something?”

“Club soda.”

“Living dangerously, Mars.”

“I think I’ve done enough of that tonight.” She walks over and sits at the bar next to him. 

“Is your dad going to worry?” He slides her glass in front of her. “Or will you just turn into a pumpkin at midnight?”

“He thinks I’m staying the night at Mac’s house.” She blows out a breath. “I think we should let it cool for a couple of days and wait until the weekend. More people coming and going and you’ll have time to get a few thing established. I’ll leave in the morning with my wig,” she reaches up and pulls it off her head, rubbing her damp hair so that it tumbles around her face, “and then you can go get a rental car – BMW or Mercedes this time, I think, and hunt around for a nice, young, blonde girl.”

“And where do you suggest I do that?”

“Don’t worry, Sheriff. I’ll find you.” She sips her drink. “I’m going to go take a shower.”

He watches her slide off the stool and head for the back of the house. He finishes his drink in a long swallow, noting absently how much smoother good booze is when it’s really good booze and not just bad boozed marked up in price. He runs his hand over his lips, inhaling the subtle scent lingering on his fingertips. “What the fuck have I gotten myself into?”

He hears the water kick on in the distance and gets to his feet, bypassing the bathroom and the light spilling under the door as he works his way to the bedroom. He leaves the light off and undresses, sliding between the cool sheets. He turns on his side as his hand finds his cock and he puts himself to sleep with the sound of the shower, the stroke of his hand and the remembered feel of Veronica Mars.

**

He wakes up hot and sweaty and sticky, breathing heavily as he opens his eyes. The room is still dark, but he knows he’s not alone. “What time is it?”

“Six.” She’s wearing a t-shirt she must have found somewhere and nothing else. “I’m going to be leaving soon. I thought it would probably be best if you at least saw me to the door.”

“How are you getting home?”

“I’ll take a cab. They’re not interested in me, remember?” She swallows hard. “Look, about last night…”

“Let’s save the post mortem for the end of it all, okay, Mars?” He sits up, his bare chest golden in the weak sunlight coming in through the blinds. “We’ve got plenty of time to do more stupid shit.”

“I just…”

“You’re a good girl. I know.” He throws off the covers and moves to the edge of the bed, the sheet doing little to hide his erection. “Why don’t you go get dressed and call the cab. I’m going to shower.”

“You’re not going to use it against me?”

He sighs. “Not until this is over.” Getting up, he doesn’t bother with the sheet as he heads to the connecting bath. “Besides, Mars, you weren’t the only one in the car. And dragging you through the mud would take me down with you.” 

“Wow. You’re almost like a gentleman. Or would be, if you weren’t naked.” She gets to her feet and heads for the door. With her hand on the knob, she stops. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. It’s not over yet.”

**

“Nice car.”

Lamb looks up from his newspaper to the car parked on the opposite side of the wrought iron fence as Veronica slides onto the seat across the table from him. The outdoor café is nearly empty, and his coffee is almost cold. “You like it?”

“I’d love to have a car like that. All that power in your hands.” She reaches across the table and pinches a piece of his muffin. “But then, you look like you’re used to having all the power in your hands.”

He adjusts his tie, smoothing it along the front of his shirt. His sleeves are rolled up and his jacket rests on the back of his chair. The Wall Street Journal is folded up beside his coffee. “I’ve got my share.”

“Are you new to Neptune?”

“I’ve been around. I’m friends with the Kanes. You know the Kanes?”

“Oh, wow.” Her eyes widen and she leans forward, intent. “I know of them. And you really know them?”

“We’re pretty close. I’m staying in their guest house.”

“Oh my gosh. That’s impressive.” She reaches over and slides her hand along his forearm, fingers threading through the dark hair, palm resting on the Rolex watch. “So what do you do?”

“I work in computers.” He glances at the counter. “Can I get you something? Anything?”

“You know what I really want?” She moves out of her seat and slides next to him, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “Where’d you get the Rolex? Evidence room?”

“That might be a little out of my price range.” He taps her softly on the thigh then settles his hand on her leg. “Why don’t you give me your name and number, and I’ll see what I can do?”

“I’ll make it worth your while.”

“I have no doubt about that.” He glances across the street to the Neptune Grand and smiles. “Shall we start now?”

**

Veronica sits on the bed, bouncing on the mattress. “Firm, but not too firm.”

“I bet you say that to all the guys.” He locks the door and moves over to the bed, removing his tie and lying against the pillows. “They’ve been following me for two days. I got the Mercedes because I thought a Rolls would be a bit too ostentatious.” He closes his eyes. “You?”

“Nobody followed Trixie home.” She lies back and stares at the ceiling. “I may be the end product, but you’re who they want right now. I’m surprised they haven’t approached you.”

“Well, I haven’t been seen squiring a sweet young thing anywhere. After this, I imagine I’ll be on the hot list. The identity I’ve set up is good. Decent business background and struck it rich, but since then things have gotten a little dicey – bad investments, failed products. I look like I could use a quick infusion of cash.”

“Which makes you a perfect patsy for their scheme.” Veronica turns over onto her stomach. “My friend called and said that they were very interested in you. Apparently the show we put on was the talk of the office the next day.”

“Were we convincing?”

“We, to quote my friend, were really fucking hot.” She gives him a shy smile. “She said it could have been better if one of us had shown a little flesh.”

“You were showing enough without me taking anything off you.” He blows out a breath. “You know, Mars, as much as it pains me, I have to say this hasn’t been the chore I thought it would be.”

“That’s because you’re following my directions.” Her eyes flash with amusement as she looks at him pointedly, her voice sharp. “If you’d gone off half-cocked like you usually do, then we’d have been in trouble.”

“And then you go and say something that just puts it all back in perspective.”

“Of course,” she smiles. “I can’t have you liking me. That would totally destroy my rep.”

“I wouldn’t think that was possible.” He catches her hand and tugs on it, half-surprised that she gives in and slides up the bed. They lie there, side by side, for a long moment. “What’s our next step?”

“I leave the hotel looking especially sated. You go down to the bar a few minutes later for a drink. I assume they’ll approach you and make you an offer you can’t refuse. Or they’ll arrange for you to get an offer. Then on their advice you’ll call your sweet young thing and offer to take her out for a night on the town.” She reaches out and touches the top button of his shirt then lets her fingers trail down his chest. “I don’t think they’ll offer to take me off your hands right away, so I’ll put up a little scene to make you glad to get rid of me. Maybe they’ll tell you they can teach me a lesson.”

“Someone needs to.” He grabs her hand and holds it flat against his chest. “You think I want Logan Echolls hunting me down and serving my head to you on a platter?”

“I’m not dating Logan anymore.” 

“That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing, Mars. We’re mortal enemies, you and I.” He slides her hand lower and cups it over his cock. “I’m not drunk and I’m sure as hell not patient, so don’t play with fire. This time your daddy won’t come along to save you.”

Her hand jerks back as if scalded and she looks hurt, then wounded, then mad. “Fine.” She snaps. “They’ll get in touch with you. You get in touch with me. Once we have an idea of the set-up, we’ll bring in back-up.” She smirks, her voice thick with sarcasm. “And then you’ll be the hero. For once.”

“And how am I going to keep my accomplice out of this?” He reaches out and deliberately touches her lips, smiling knowingly as she jerks away. “I don’t think anyone’s going to believe you were stupid enough over a rich, older guy to go willingly.”

“I’ll explain I was there to see my friend and got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“And everyone will simply accept it as typical Veronica Mars to be there when the bust goes down? Everyone, that is, except your father, who isn’t stupid.”

“He’s out of town on a skip-trace.” She gets off the bed and walks away from him, her gaze locked on the abstract painting on the wall though he doubts she’s seeing it. “So we have a short timetable.”

“I see. Yes, ma’am.” He gets off the bed as well and follows her, grabbing her arms and turning her around. “They’re downstairs, right?” She doesn’t say a word as he lowers his head and tastes her lips carefully. “Have to make this believable.”

Veronica nods and slides her arms around his neck, threading one leg behind both of his. Lamb growls deep in his throat and his hands move to cup her ass, lifting her slightly. He walks a few steps forward and pins her to the wall as her legs wrap around his waist. She moans into his kiss, breaking past his lips with her tongue and forcing it inside his mouth. 

Supporting her with his body, he brings one hand up to her hair and tangles it in the silky strands, the feel of it enough to jolt his cock. Veronica mewls softly in response and tightens her legs, her fingers running through his short hair. “All right, Mars,” he breaks the kiss and breathes her name, pulling back from her. “You look like you’ve been kissed. Time to go.”

“Shouldn’t I look like I’ve been more than kissed?” She licks her swollen lips and moves closer. 

“I’ve got about two seconds of self-control left, Mars. And at that point, I’m not going to give a fuck who your father is or who your best friend was or who you are.” He grips her chin hard enough to hurt and forces her to look at him. “All wit aside, Mars, if you don’t get the hell out of here, I’m going to fuck you.”

“You really wouldn’t care who I was? I could be anybody?”

“As if you could ever just be anybody.” He lowers his lips and finds hers, sliding his tongue over the parted flesh. “Fucking thorn in my side. It gets a little embarrassing when I have to excuse myself after you’re in the office and fucking beat off to get you out of my system.” Veronica stares at him with shocked eyes, her chest rising and falling rapidly. He curses softly under his breath and lets her go. “Go home, Veronica Mars.”

She unbuttons the top button of her blouse and pulls it over her head, dropping it on the floor. “Your two seconds are up.”

**

“Christ.” He breathes the word as she takes another step toward him, the demure white bra more arousing than the red one she’d worn before. “Mars…”

“What can I say, Sheriff? You clean up nice.” She undoes the first few buttons of his shirt. 

“I don’t have a death wish, Mars.” He catches her hands and holds them, refusing to let her touch him. “Your father or anyone finds out about this and they’ll have my badge and my ass.”

“You’re telling me why not,” she snakes her hands free and slides them across his stomach to rest them on his hips. “But you’re not saying no.”

“You don’t like me.”

“I have to like you?” She curls her fingers under the waistband of his slacks and runs them along the fabric to the front and the smooth metal buckle of his belt. “Is that a new rule?” She unfastens his belt and makes short work of his slacks, pushing them down his legs. She runs her fingertips over the outline of the head of his cock and the shaft. “I know you want to.”

“That’s the difference between the lawmakers and the lawbreakers, Mars. Lawbreakers want to and do. Lawmakers want to, but don’t. You’ll notice what side of the line the badge puts me on.”

“You’re not wearing your badge.” She strokes him slowly through the thin fabric of his boxer briefs. “Or are you hiding it somewhere?”

“Veronica.” He reaches for her hand, grasping her around the wrist as she slips her fingers beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs. “I really am going to have to handcuff you, aren’t I?”

“To get me to stop?” She presses against him, her hand caught between their bodies. “Yeah. But then you’ll have me sprawled out all captive and helpless on your bed.” Her voice rises playfully, teasing as she bats her eyes. “How long do you think you’d last, Deputy?”

He grins dangerously. “I thought we’d agreed on Sheriff.” 

“Seems to me to be a Sheriff, a man would have to be willing to do the job.” She smiles as he loosens his grip on her arm and slides her hand beneath the cloth to curve around his cock. “Are you?” Her voice is breathy and he knows the second it sends the hard shiver down his spine that he’s as good as gone. “Sheriff?”

**

Lamb hooks his hand around the back of her neck and pulls her closer, capturing her mouth. His tongue pushes past her lips into the heat tasting of strawberry lip gloss and need. He curves his free arm around her waist, his palm flat against the small of her back.

Veronica hooks her leg around him again, her hand still caught between them. He breaks the kiss on a strangled gasp, backing up until his legs hit the bed. She frees her hand from around him and pushes his chest, sending him sprawling on the mattress.

He shudders as she straddles him, his body responding with a thick rush to his groin. He groans as she leans forward, her hair trailing over his bare skin as she unbuttons his shirt, kissing her way down his chest and abdomen, her knees digging into his thighs as her hands tug at his boxer briefs.

One hand clenches the forest green bedspread and the other fists in her hair, unclenching and stroking it.. She laughs quietly against his skin as she shifts above him, the sound and feel of it causing his body to arch toward her as she guides the fabric over his cock. Her tongue in the dark arrow of hair when she slips off his lap taking his boxers with her.

Her breath stutters over his flesh, sending another pulse to his groin. Her hand stroke his thighs, moving upward to the juncture of his hips. She kneels between his parted legs, waiting until he raises up on his elbows to watch before she bends her head and the sweet flavored heat of her mouth surrounds him.

“Oh…fuck,” he breathes, his mind blank. No Lilly or fantasy in his head, just the tight sensation of Veronica’s mouth around him. The thought makes him groan and she responds in kind, the reverberations lancing through his nervous system. “Fuck.” He pants harshly. “Fuck, Veronica.”

Her mouth tightens further as she slides up to the head, releasing him long enough to lick the swollen tip, her lashes shadowing her eyes as her mouth closes over him again. 

She moves with a steady rhythm - no doubt practiced in the back of SUVs that cost more than a year’s take-home pay and bedrooms cleaned by maids trained to ignore stained sheets. Her tongue presses hard to the base then traces the thick vein on the underside of his cock, sucking hard at the tip, the heavy pull bringing his hips off the bed.

“Mars.” He can feel the heat rising, following his thrusts off the bed, and he knows he sounds like he’s begging. His body contracts and his balls tighten and he groans, reaching out blindly and shoving her away from him. She falls back and he can feel her gaze hot on his back as he sinks to his knees and finishes himself off with two quick strokes, spilling himself all over the polished wood floor.

Veronica’s eyes are wide and wounded as he gets to his feet and kicks his clothes free of his ankles, then strides naked to the bathroom for a towel. He tosses one to her and she catches it instinctively before shoving it away from her.

He wraps another around his waist and leans against the wall just outside the rectangle of light falling from the bathroom door. “Get off your knees, Mars.”

She gets to her feet, grabbing and pulling her shirt on in quick, jerky movements. She starts for the door, but his voice stops her.

“You’re supposed to look sated. Not pissed.” He runs a hand through his short hair and sighs. “Is that what you wanted it to be like, Mars?”

“I was trying…”

“To reciprocate. Right. Well, let me teach you the first real lesson about sex you’re ever going to get. Those high school boys that finger you to get you off and then tell you that you owe them or it’s their turn? Bullshit. Sex is primal and instinctive. You take what you want. And if the person doesn’t give you what you want, what you need, then you find someone who does.” He goes to the minibar, pulls out a small bottle, cracks the seal and drinks it down. “I’m surprised you didn’t learn that from Lilly.”

Veronica’s jaw tightens. “Must have been her little secret.”

He walks up to her and cups her chin, gently this time. “You don’t owe me anything, Mars.” He leans in and kisses her, surprising both of them with the softness of the gesture. “Not yet, anyway.”

**

He hits the hotel bar an hour later. After she’d left, he’d taken a long, hot shower, wondering what the fuck he was doing. He’d had the chance to fuck Veronica Mars’s smart mouth until she swallowed, and instead he’d come all over a rug that probably cost more than his house. 

“Fucking bitch,” he whispers to his refection in the mirror behind the bar. “You’re supposed to respect but hate her, you pussy.” But he’d kissed her several times before she’d gone, neither of them talking. “Fuck.”

“Funny you should say that.” A man in a suit sits beside him and slides an envelope along the bar. Some literature that might be right up your alley.”

“No thanks.” He slides the envelope back. “Trust me when I say I don’t need any ‘literature’ right now. I’ve got the real thing.”

“I know. I saw her.”

“Hey man, she’s mine. Besides, she’s young enough to be your dau…oh shit.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Denton. I’m not related to your young lady.”

“How do you know my name?”

“I work for a group of investors. They’re expanding their business and they need a good workforce. A workforce of young sexually aware girls. Girls that, perhaps, a nice, upstanding, married businessman such as yourself might need to…rid himself of.”

“Are you threatening me? Threatening to tell my wife?”

“I’m not here to threaten, Mr. Denton.” He pushes the envelope back in front of Lamb. “Think of me more as a financial advisor. After all, you won’t be in Neptune forever.”

**

“They bite?”

Lamb laughs low and soft. “Hook, line and sinker.”

“We on for tonight?”

“Wear something school girl. I feel a bit of Nabachov coming on.”

“Why, Sheriff. The things you say.”

He laughs again, a soft bite in the mirth. “Were you still thinking I’m a completely uneducated bore? Or are you just a little worried I’m actually trying to get rid of you, Mars?”

“Aren’t you?”

“I was,” he admitted. “But you don’t try to even the score on someone you’re going to screw over.” 

“You’d think that, wouldn’t you?” She blows him a kiss over the phone. “See you tonight, Sheriff.”

**

“Holy fuck, Mars.” He shakes his head as she spins in a slow circle. “I said young. I didn’t mean grade school.”

“Parochial, actually.” She unzips her coat to show him the tied off, partially unbuttoned white shirt. “By way of Britney Spears.”

“You’re trying too hard.” 

She reaches out and trails her fingertips over the telltale bulge of his cock. “I don’t know. Seems to be working just fine.”

He shakes his head and closes the door behind him. “Come on, Mars. Let’s go find out how much you’re worth to me.”

She waits until he’s in the car then slips him a piece of paper. He unfolds it and skims the words, nodding once. 

“So,” Veronica’s voice is playful, and in character, but he can feel her eyes on him. “Where are you taking me? Someplace special?”

“A little place I know just outside town. I suppose I should warn you though, it’s a bit…naughty.”

“Will they let me in? I mean, I have a fake ID, but I don’t know that it’s very good. Fools the local cops though.”

“Don’t worry. I have all the ID you’ll need.” He reaches over to shift, raising his eyebrow as his hand wraps around hers on the gear.

“Oh. I just love how it vibrates.” She glances at him sideways. “What do you mean by naughty?”

“Drinking. Dancing.” He shifts again, his fingers grazing her thigh. “Naked women.”

She laughs, the sound high-pitched and nervous. “Why are you taking me there? I could be naked for you. Just the two of us.” She nods. “Oh. I get it. You want me and another girl together.”

 _Veronica’s mouth on my pussy and Veronica’s hot cunt around your cock_. Lamb groans. “Now I do.”

“I’m not that kind of girl.” She crosses her arms over her chest and pouts. “I can’t believe, after this afternoon, you think I’m not enough for you. Maybe you should just take me home.”

“No.” He reaches up to stroke her cheek with the back of his hand. “Trust me. You’re more than enough. We’re just going there for the privacy. And maybe a little something to help put us in the mood.”

“Well,” she catches his hand and places it between her legs. “I’m already in the mood. But if you want to, we can do whatever you want.” She guides his hand higher until his fingertips brush damp fabric. “Just remember that I’m a good girl.”

Lamb frees his hand and sighs. “As if I could forget.”

**

Veronica acts the demure schoolgirl as they leave the car and walk up to the club. His hand rests in the small of her back, his palm warm against the bare sliver of skin between her skirt and shirt. The bouncer looks at Lamb, looks at his list and nods. “Mr. Denton.” It isn’t a question. “Right this way.”

They walk inside, escorted to the section along the back wall. Veronica proceeds him, short skirt swaying. She stares a little too long at the gyrating redhead on the stage, her mouth open as if in shock. The blonde escorting them stops and smiles at Lamb. He returns the smile. “Drink minimum?”

“Two for you.” She smiles, the edge of hunger in her eyes. “The young lady drinks free.”

“Ooh,” Veronica slides her hand down Lamb’s thigh as she slides into the booth. “She called me a lady.”

“For enough money, darlin’, they’ll call you any name you want.” He smiles. “She’ll have a chocolate martini. I’ll have a bourbon.”

“The good stuff?”

He smiles and slides in next to Veronica. “Definitely the good stuff.”

“Hey!” Veronica lip slides out into a pout. “You’re flirting with her.” Her arms cross over her stomach, pushing her breasts up. “You’re here with me.”

His hand moves up her thigh as he hooks his other arm around her. “It’s not flirting,” he assures her. “It’s just a way to insure better service.” He presses a kiss to the side of her neck. “Booth bugged?”

She turns her head and buries her face against his neck. “Your car was.” She pulls back and runs her finger along his open collar. “You think she’s pretty?”

He glances around briefly then meets her eyes again. “Who?”

“The waitress.” She tilts her head toward the stage. “The dancer.”

His fingers feather over her cheek for a moment before he kisses her. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Flatterer.” She settles under his arm, letting him pull her closer. She runs her finger along the collar of his shirt again, her short nail scraping against his skin, sending a shiver along his spine. “So, do you come here a lot?”

“Is that your way of asking if I’ve brought anyone else here?”

“Is that your way of saying I should be jealous?” 

She starts to pout again and he leans in and catches her lower lip, sucking on it lightly. “I promise you’re the only girl I’ve ever brought here.”

Veronica’s hand slides along his cheek and up into his hair. “Should I trust you?” Before he can answer the heavy thrum in her voice, she pulls away. “I’m going to the little girls’ room.” She runs her free hand along his thigh. “Don’t get into trouble while I’m gone.”

“I think I should say the same to you.”

“I’m the soul of innocence.” She kisses the tip of his nose, her eyes on his.

“That’s not what I remember from this afternoon.”

“It’s not nice to remind a good girl of her indiscretions.” She slides away from him slowly, her hand lingering. “Be good.”

“Trust me. I always am.”

**

“Mr. Denton?” The waitress sets their drinks on the table and hands him an envelope from the tray. “My employer asked me to give you this. An…incentive.”

Lamb opens the clasp and barely glances at the flash of cash inside. “Thank your employer for me.”

“If I may say so, she seems…clingy.”

“Are you suggesting having a gorgeous young blond hanging off my arm is a bad thing?”

“Not right now,” she shrugs. “But eventually you’re going to have to go home. And gorgeous, young blondes don’t always stay where you put them.”

Veronica’s voice is icy from her stance behind the waitress. “Miss me?”

Lamb tucks the envelope away and smiles at the waitress. “Thank you.”

“What was that about?” Veronica snaps as the waitress walks away.

“Just delivering our drinks.”

“Right.” She glares at him as she takes a long pull from her drink. “Well, I had a present for you, but now I think you don’t deserve it.” She sets her drink down and reaches out, rubbing her chilled finger over his bottom lip. “Naughty boy.”

“Very naughty,” he assures her. “Which, as I recall, you said was your favorite thing about me.”

“Well,” she reaches down to trail a finger over his cock. “One of my favorite things.” She shrugs and smiles. “But you’re right. Maybe you do deserve a present.” She takes his hand and presses it to her upper thigh then slides it higher, edging it under her short skirt. 

“What are you doing?”

“Do you really need me to explain it to you?” She reaches down and catches his hand, pressing something against his palm. He pulls his hand back and glances at the scrap of fabric. 

“Let’s go.”

“I haven’t finished my drink.”

He hands it to her and taps his foot as she empties the glass with a giggle. “Let’s go.”

“I thought I got two.”

“I promise,” he leans in and growls the words, his eyes burning. “I’ll give you everything you need.” He drops a bill on the table and grabs Veronica’s hand. “Let’s go.”

**

He barely manages to make it out of the club before he pushes her against the rough side of the building. Veronica moans as he holds her in place with his body and dangles the orange thong from one finger. “What the fuck is this, Mars?”

“Do I have to explain it to you?”

“Veronica…” He crushes the fabric in his fist and places it very slowly, very carefully against the wall near her head. “I know you have this thing where you like to push my buttons, and I know we’ve been doing this dance for a long fucking time. But we’re working together and you’re playing at something that’s got nothing to do with what we’re working on.”

“They were listening. Watching. Still are.”

“You think this is a fucking game, Mars.”

“It’s all a game, Sheriff,” she hisses the word at him, arching her back so that her body is pressed against his. “Tell me you don’t want to play.”

“Get in the fucking car.” He leans in and bites her lower lip, sucking it into his mouth as she moans again. “Christ, Mars.” He nips at her lips and tongue until she grabs his shirt and jerks him hard against her, pushing her tongue deep into his mouth. His fist slides down to hold her against him as his free hand contracts in her hair, pulling hard until she breaks the kiss and gasps up into the night as he licks his way down her neck to the shadowed valley between her breasts. 

She shakes in his grip, her legs trembling as she arches into him. He undoes the few buttons holding her shirt closed so that the only thing holding it together is the loose knot just above her navel. Her hands move up to his shoulders and her nails dig into his skin through his shirt as her heavy breathing fills his ears.

He jerks away from her and lets out a shuddering breath, bending over and inhaling sharply as he points behind him. “Get in the fucking car.” He straightens, but doesn’t move until he hears her door shut and wonders, for his own sake, if she should lock the door behind her.

**

The ride back to the Kane estate is silent, Veronica watching him with eyes that hold a mixture of excitement and terror. Her shirt’s still undone but he doesn’t say anything as he casts glances in her direction, because talking would unleash a torrent of words that he refuses to say. His heart is pounding in his chest and he hears Lilly fucking laughing in his head, her _I told you so_ more haunting than any other memory.

He jerks the car to a stop outside the guest house and exhales slowly. His body is hot and heavy and he stares out the windshield until she shifts in her seat. “I told my dad that I was spending the night with a friend.”

“Is that what you’d call me?” He keeps his voice light, knowing they’re listening.

“Are you…” she swallows and he glances over at her, his eyes locked on hers, barely moving to watch her lick her parted lips nervously. “Are you my friend?”

“I wouldn’t call it that.” He sighs and reaches out, running one finger between her breasts. “But I wouldn’t want you to lie to your father, now would I?”

“N…no.” 

“So, for the sake of argument, I think we better pretend we’re friends.” He tries to pretend his hand isn’t shaking. “Since you’re going to spend the night.” He opens his door and steps out, sucking in a deep breath of the night air. Veronica climbs out of her side and he moves around to her, not touching her as he makes the way up the stairs. She follows close behind him, almost running into him as he stops to unlock the door.

The hallway is dark, just the faint glow from another room giving the soft wood a golden hue. He shuts the door behind them and leans against it as Veronica moves away from him, looking, for only the second time since he’s known her, exactly as old as she is. 

“I called the Kane’s. They’ve had security patrolling the area, so we should be safe in here from prying ears.” He pushes off the door and advances on her, moving slowly. “Now, you want to tell me what exactly you’re doing, Veronica?”

“We’ve already discussed the plan…”

“The plan.” He nods and moves closer still, angling to cut off any route of escape. “Would that be our plan to put the evildoers away?” She bites her lower lip and watches him with wide eyes. “Or would that be your plan of driving me out of my fucking mind?”

“That actually wasn’t in the plan.”

His hands bracket her face as he traps her against the wall. “Just a side benefit?”

“If this is about this afternoon…”

“This,” he laughs, the sound low and soft and dangerous, “this, Veronica Mars, isn’t about this afternoon. This is about this.” He bends his head and finds her mouth, one hand hooking around the nape of her neck as he pushes his tongue past her lips, nudging them apart. He explores her slowly, taking his time as he thrusts his tongue in and out of the warm wet, tasting chocolate and vodka and the soft innocence in the dark corners of her mouth.

She winds her arms around his neck, pulling herself up closer to him. He uses his free hand to stroke her cheek, barely noticing the glitter that clings to his skin as she moans in his mouth, her body straining toward his. He pulls back and holds her gaze – eyes half closed and dark with desire – for a moment before he bends down and slips one arm beneath her knees and lifts her, finding her mouth with his own as he makes his way down the dark hallways to the bedroom.

He sets her down just inside the room and steps back, his eyes searching hers. She doesn’t say anything as he stares at her, just undoes her shirt and shrugs it off. He doesn’t move as she unhooks the lacy scrap of fabric he assumes classifies as a bra and lets that fall to the floor as well. His hands curl into fists at his side as he watches her slide the zipper of her skirt down slowly, the sound loud in the quiet room. It falls and he holds his breath, letting it out in a puff of laughter as she glances up, smiling mischievously, dressed in a lacy pair of boy-shorts. The laughter dies as she hooks her thumbs in the waistband and pushes them down, stepping out of them and standing before him, completely naked and completely innocent all at once.

“Tell me you’ve done this before, Mars.” His voice breaks somewhere and he doesn’t recognize the sound of himself.

“You know I’ve done this before, Sheriff.” Her smile is brittle as he runs his gaze up to it from its slow exploration of her body. 

“I hope this ranks higher than your first experience.” He tugs at his loosened tie and pulls it free of the knot. “But I think we both know that wasn’t what I was referring to.”

“Random hookup at a shady bar outside of town with the local constabulary?” She sounds like herself and her voice sends his pulse racing. “Not for a while.”

He unbuttons his shirt and shrugs it off as he advances toward her, his slow progress guiding her to the bed. “I always said that smart mouth was going to get you into trouble one day, Mars.”

“Is this where you handcuff me, Sheriff?”

He reaches out and snags one of her hands, wrapping his fingers around her small wrist. “Something like that.”

“One of us is overdressed.” She tugs her hand free and sinks down on the bed, stretching out on it. He knows her well enough to see the undercurrent of fear in her eyes, and he knows himself well enough to get off on it, but there’s something more as he undoes his pants and kicks them free, sliding up onto the bed between her legs. Her body is hot as he crawls along the length of her, holding his body over hers. 

“I feel like I’d be better off if I tied you down and gagged you,” he whispers in her ear, nibbling the soft flesh of the lobe. 

“Don’t worry, Sheriff. I promise not to hurt you.”

He laughs, wondering if he sounds as nervous to her ears as her bravado does to his. “Mars, you can hurt me all you want.” He licks the shell of her ear then the hollow beneath it. “I want bruises to remember you by.”

“Those emotional scars just don’t show as well?” She laughs softly as he shifts his weight, stretching out beside her and running his palm over the slight swell of her stomach and down to the thatch of hair between her thighs. She sucks in air and expels it in a shaky breath. “I’ll try not to leave anything too permanent.”

His fingers brush at the damp flesh between her legs, teasing it with light touches before guiding it apart and running along the smooth inner skin. “At least not where it will show?”

“Well,” she’s breathless, the whisper soft sound of her voice sending his fingers exploring, tracing around her clit and then down to her opening. “Maybe it’ll show a little bit…” She bites her lip and stares up into his face, her green eyes wide. “It wouldn’t hurt if people wondered.”

“What little hellcat hurt the big, bad sheriff?”

“Yeah,” she laughs, the sound changing, shifting as he slides two fingers inside her. “Well, except it’d be you.”

“You’re not funny, Mars.”

His fingers move slowly but steadily, building speed and depth as he changes his position, leaning over her. His thumb finds her clit and he presses against it then circles it until her body is rising to meet his hand. “I…I wasn’t…trying to be…funny.”

“You’re always trying,” he assures her, leaning in for a kiss. She wraps her hands around his neck and holds him down on top of her, his hand still moving as she matches his strokes with her tongue. One of her legs curls around his and her body slides against him with a cat-like motion, curving up and pressing into him. He fights away from the kiss and smiles at her, just the corner of his mouth curling up as he grinds down against her hip, his cock hard against her. “Trying to put one past me, trying my patience, trying to get away with something…” He shakes his head. “You make my life hell, Mars.”

“Good to know.”

“But you know what they say, don’t you?” He eases his hand free, his smile widening as she gives a low cry. “Turnabout’s fair play.” He slides between her legs again and lowers himself, his cock against the bedspread and his mouth inches above her breast. “Or all’s fair in love and war.”

“Revenge is a dish best served…” She stops speaking on an inhalation as his mouth closes over her nipple. 

He lifts his head and smiles again as she bites her lower lip to keep from making a sound. “Cold? Oh, no, Mars. There’s nothing cold about this.”

**

His mouth closes over her nipple again as he leans his weight on one arm, allowing his other hand to come up and cup the flesh. Her body is slick with perspiration as he touches her, squeezing and stroking with damp fingers. He feels her watching him as he brings the fingers he thrust inside her up to tease her nipple, sucking on all three at once, her nipple pinched between his fingertips. She gasps and thrusts up, her hands clenching into fists in the bedspread beneath them.

Moving to the other breast, he treats it to the same performance, tracing the nipple with his tongue before sucking it between his teeth, his tongue playing over the tip as his hand teases the flesh beneath. Veronica’s legs are both wrapped around his calves and he can feel the heat of her arousal against his stomach. His cock throbs against the bed and he rises up onto his hands and knees, smiling down at her with slow deliberation. 

He wants to talk, but he knows that if he says the wrong thing this will be over and he doesn’t want it to be over. He wants to taste her and fuck her and he can hear Lilly’s jeers in his head, because this is the kid he watched grow from a gawky pre-teen to a gorgeous teenager and, even though every word he told her was the truth, he did feel sorry for her in his office, crying her virginity away. 

He kisses her stomach and then dips his tongue into her navel. Veronica releases the bedspread and digs her nails into his shoulders, scratching and then rubbing them, massaging them as he makes his way lower, his breath feathering through the downy hair to the soft, wet, slick flesh beneath.

 _This is the girl,_ Lilly’s sarcastic drawl reminds him, _who is a fucking thorn in your side. She’s called you out and shown you up and all you can do is get off on sick, twisted fantasies about her._ He can almost picture Lilly whispering in his ear as his thumbs part Veronica’s flesh and his tongue darts out to taste the heavy thickness of her arousal. _And just imagine what sweet, little Veronica Mars would do if she knew you talked about her while you were fucking me._

Veronica inhales and holds her breath, finally releasing it in a shuddering sigh. He presses his tongue to her clit then licks the hard nub, teasing it until her body tightens and then pulling back and blowing a warm draft of air over it. She’s shivering beneath him as he reaches down, thrusting two fingers in again to match the questing thrust of his tongue. 

Her whimper is almost louder than the blood pounding in his head and he thrusts faster and harder, adding another finger as she pants above him. Her knees bend and he groans, burying the sound in her flesh as she parts her legs farther and opens herself up to him. He frees his hand and cups her ass, holding her in front of him as he trails his tongue around the tight circle of her opening then pushes it inside, the hot rush of the taste of her jerking at his cock. 

He pulls back onto his knees and stares down at her, not conscious of anything but the soft glow of her skin, the wide spread of her legs, the hazy want in her eyes and the pulsing throb of his cock. He reaches over her to the bedside table and fishes a condom out of the drawer. His eyes don’t leave her as he opens it and slides it on, but he breaks the gaze as she lifts her hand and reaches down, her fingers barely glancing over the sheathed flesh.

“Fuck,” he growls deep in his throat, grabbing her hand and pinning both of her arms to the bed. He feels the tightness of her body surrounding the tip of his shaft and bites the inside of his lips as he breathes heavily, fighting to control the need to push hard and deep. 

Veronica meets his gaze with a nervous smile then glances down at the space between them. “What’s the matter, Sheriff? Chicken?”

Her shaking voice is the only thing that stops him from thrusting mindlessly, keeping her pinned to the bed with his hands and tongue and cock. He pushes in slowly, his muscles corded with the effort, his arms shaking as badly as her voice had as he feels her contract. He begins rocking slowly, each steady thrust pushing deeper. Her breath comes in staccato beats as he stops, his body enveloped by hers. “What’s the matter, Mars? No clever quips? No sarcastic comments? No witticisms?” He begins moving in earnest and he closes his eyes to savor the tight, wet heat of her before looking at her again, watching her eyes open and close, her tongue dart across her lips, her chest rise and fall beneath him. 

“Just imagine how much worse it’s going to be now,” she manages the words between thrusts. “You thought you had to beat off when I came in your office before.”

He groans and lowers himself on her, holding her shoulders as he adjusts the pressure and depth of his thrusts. Veronica gasps and her mouth closes over his neck, her tongue and teeth worrying his skin, her bite growing deeper and harder as he closes his eyes and buries his head against her neck, sucking on the curve of her shoulder as he feels her tighten around him even more, her body constricting, contracting around his cock until the molten rush of her orgasm bathes his flesh. 

Gasping for air, he raises himself up and pushes into her, thrusting more wildly against her slick skin. She’s shaking and gasping beneath him, her feet against the mattress as she presses up into him, her body jerking with shockwaves. Her nails rake down his back and he gasps, losing his control and his grip as his arms give out and they land hard together on the bed, his body heavy on hers.

**

He rolls off her after a minute and catches the condom by the base, feeling her eyes on him as he walks to the bathroom. He disposes of it then turns to look at her, sprawled out on the bed, her skin glowing in the slices of moonlight coming in through the blinds. She lifts the corner of her mouth in a smile as she watches him through hooded eyes. 

He reaches out and touches the swell of her breast. “You want a drink?”

“Yeah.”

He nods and grabs a robe off the back of the bathroom door. He walks into the main room and pours two glasses of bourbon. He walks back to her and stops at the door, smiling to himself before downing one of the glasses completely. She’s under the covers, asleep and curled in on herself and he’s not surprised. He swallows a drink from the second glass and sighs, wondering if she’ll be there in the morning.

**

He groans and blinks then rolls over, pulling the pillow over his head to shield him from the sunlight. 

“Rise and shine.”

He lifts the pillow long enough to see his shirt topping a set of very shapely thighs. “Go away.”

“Can’t, Sheriff.” She sits down on the bed next to him, crossing her legs, which sends his shirt sliding even higher up her thighs, and setting a tray in front of her. “We’ve got work to do. Plans to make. And since we got a little…sidetracked last night…”

“For which you’re totally to blame,” he assured her as he manages to sit up, pulling the sheet up around his waist. “I was on my best behavior.”

“Oh, dear. That was your best?” Veronica smiles to take the sting out, but something in the sharpness of her eyes makes it sting anyway. She pours him a cup of coffee and hands it over. “So, planning.”

“They gave me a wad of cash last night.” 

“I know. I saw.” She hands him the envelope. “By the way, if you were really trying to sell me into white slavery, you might want to be a little more careful with what you let me find.” She takes a sip of her own coffee. “Details and plans, plus the plan for the next payment. They seem to know all about your itinerary, Mr. Denton. And, by the way, you should be ashamed of yourself, having a tawdry affair with some nubile blonde while your wife is pregnant with your second child. Tsk tsk.”

“What can I say? The little woman won’t put out while she’s knocked up.” He drinks his coffee as he flips through the papers and the cash. “Shit. You’re worth a lot more than I ever gave you credit for, Mars.”

“And that’s just the down payment. Now, don’t you wish you’d been nicer to me?” She pulls a sheet free. “I’m surprised they give you this much information, but I suppose it’s all vague enough that if it fell into the wrong hands you’d look like you were indebted to the mob, not selling off your plaything once you tired of her.”

“Much more respectable.” He reads through it and nods. “Well, Mr. Denton is supposed to leave for home tomorrow after a meeting with his investors. Sounds like tonight’s our last night in this slice of paradise.” He finishes his coffee and lies back against the pillow, his hands behind his head. “Typically in this sort of situation with all this surveillance, we’d have guys on the perimeter in the distance ready to be called in. We’d also have guys in place inside. I think we can probably get away with one or two, though they might be a bit suspicious if a bunch of new faces showed up.”

“You mean to tell me there’s a strip club not a half hour outside of Neptune and _none_ of Neptune’s finest spend some time there occasionally? What kind of corrupt force are you running here?”

He grabs her arm and tugs her down, barely missing spilling the coffee. “Careful, Mars. That corrupt force is going to save your ass tonight.”

She kisses him then bites his lip hard enough to sting. “Just don’t get so caught up in looking at my ass that you don’t save it, all right?”

“Trust me, Mars. Your ass is mine.”

**

“Have I mentioned,” he salutes her with his drink, “that you look very good in my clothes?”

“I thought it was a nice, possessive touch.” 

“I will admit I like you better out of them though.” He finishes the amber colored liquid and stands up. “Everyone’s got their orders for tonight. Everything’s in place. We go, we act like nothing’s wrong, we fight, security comes to get you off the fine, upstanding gentleman you’re attacking. They lead you out. Your friend places the call, rushes over to you and lets them know she knows you, the boys come in and we’re all in the papers.”

“You’re all in the papers. I’m safely at home in bed when my dad gets home from Brazil.” She shrugs. “Shall we?”

“Come here.”

“Sheriff…”

“When we go into that club, there are going to be three police officers watching us. If you think that I’m going to let Keith Mars’s daughter come near me in front of any of them, you’re out of your fucking mind.”

“They’re from a different jurisdiction.”

“And no one knows who your dad is?” He sits up and grabs her wrist, carefully but tightly. “Come here.”

She moves over to him and leans down, her hands on either arm of the chair. “Yes, Sheriff?”

His eyes darken as she smiles, but he manages to hold her gaze. “Lilly was right about you.”

Veronica jerks back as if slapped and puts several feet between them. “What?”

“She said you’d be a hot little fuck.” He gets to his feet, ignoring the churning in his gut and the look on her face. “Said you’d have a hot little cunt that would be so tight around my cock it would take everything I had not to come the second I slid inside you.”

“Why are you saying this?”

“She also said you wouldn’t scream, but she figured it would have more to do with the fact that you’d be licking her out than anything else.”

Veronica swallows and walks to the door. “Let’s go.”

He nods even though she’s not watching and closes his eyes, rubbing them with the balls of his thumbs. “To protect and serve.”

“You suck at the first one, Deputy.”

“Yeah?” He closes in on her but refuses to look her way. “But you gotta admit, Mars, I served you just fine.”

**

Veronica sits stiffly beside him and he leans over, sliding his arm over her shoulders. “Relax, pussycat.”

“You lied to me.”

“Lies of omission,” he shrugs as if they’re talking about anything but what’s being said. “You know those well, don’t you?”

Her eyes are hurt. “I think yours rank a little higher than mine, don’t you?”

“Did you really think I came here with no previous life before you? You honestly thought that a nice, respectable businessman like me would have no one else?”

“I didn’t expect you to find me when you had someone else, no. I thought I was special.”

His voice holds more emotion than he wants to show, but he can’t change the timbre. “You are.”

“Yeah, special enough to bed.”

He smirks and leans back enough to look her straight in the eye. “And you thought we had a meaningful relationship 20 minutes after we met? I mean, beyond meaningful enough to fuck me.”

“You’re a bastard.”

“Yeah. What does that say about your taste in men?”

She shoves away from him and hurries to the bathroom. He closes his eyes and sighs, reaching for his drink and downs it, hating that he’s on the job and, thanks to Veronica’s friend, drinking colored water. 

“I guess the bloom’s off the rose?”

He opens his eyes and shrugs a half-smile at the waitress. “She’s having a hard time understanding that I’m more interested in going back to my wife and kids than hanging around with a high school student with dreams of being the next Marilyn Monroe or, more honestly, Jessica Simpson.”

“Our offer still stands.”

He nods. “How do I let you know if I’m interested?”

She glances over at the far table. “See the gentleman there?”

“The one who doesn’t seem to take his own advice and is surrounded by three girls young enough to be my date’s younger sisters?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

“Just wave to him, excuse yourself to go to the bathroom and we’ll take care of the rest.”

“No muss, no fuss?”

“She’ll be gone by the time you get back.” She places an envelope on the table and taps it twice. “Just remember though, he’ll expect you to return in no less than a year and provide the same service for him again.”

“What if I like the next one better?”

“You might want to be ready for some heartbreak.”

He raises an eyebrow. “And what if I don’t come back.”

“You have a little girl of your own, Mr. Denton.” She pushes the envelope toward him. “You don’t come back, we’ll find her.”

“I…see.”

“Have a nice evening.”

She walks away and he leans back, tucking the envelope away. He sees Veronica standing in the hallway, giving him time. He looks away as she starts towards him, then looks back, remembering the feel of her against his skin, wanting to pin her to the wall and run his hands under his shirt to feel the warm curves of her skin. He doesn’t move as she slides in beside him, her body brushing against his. 

“Are you going to stay mad at me all night?”

“Maybe.”

“Or we could kiss and make up.”

“Kiss?” Her voice is laced with sarcasm. “Is that what we’d do to make up?”

“Amongst other things.” He leans in and kisses her neck, pushing her hair out of the way. “I raise my hand, I walk away and you’re theirs.” He breathes it in her ear, into the listening device she added to her wardrobe in the bathroom. He knows everyone’s listening and he feels his blood pounding through his system at the rush of the coming bust. Veronica’s pulse is beating hard and heavy at the base of her neck and, without thinking, he brushes it with his tongue.

The slap stings more because he doesn’t expect it than because she hits him, and he rears back. Her eyes flash back at him. “I’m not that kind of girl.”

He’s conscious of them listening and bites back his reply, the need to remind her that she was last night, she was _his_ last night. “Yeah.” He turns slightly and lifts his hand casually. “That’s sort of the problem.” He gets up and walks away casually, slowly, feeling her gaze burn into his back. He reaches the back hallway and goes into the bathroom, holding the edge of the sink and bowing his head for a moment. 

“Fuck,” he breathes to himself as he looks himself in the eye. “God _damn_ Veronica Mars.”

He rips the door open and heads back into the club, the waitress slamming hard into him as he rounds the corner. “You!” She shoves at him and tries to get out of his grip. “Your girlfriend brought the fucking cops!” 

“Yeah, I know.” He pushes her against the wall and jerks her hands behind her back. “I am one.”

**

The pulsing lights turns everyone’s face a color not found in nature. The red echoes off the walls and the blue lingers on the flesh and the white flashes bright enough to blind. He weaves his way through the bodies littering the front parking area, stepping over handcuffed legs. The dogs are inside the building along with the computer geniuses, and a bunch of crying, half-naked women. He figures the three belong together like a bad dirty joke, so he ignores the front door and makes his way around the back. 

He sees Veronica’s friend and he quickens his step. Veronica’s father’s plane arrives in a little over an hour, and he knows he needs to get her home. He needs to get his shirt. He needs…

Veronica stands beside a car he’d know anywhere. He’s seen it enough times through the course of his investigations. He wonders for a second if her friend drove it tonight until he sees the dark figure step up behind Veronica, disapproval written on his face along with worry and concern as he slides an arm around Veronica’s waist.

Lamb stops and takes a deep breath. Right. “Well, Mars. Looks like you managed to escape unscathed once again.”

“No thanks to you, Deputy.”

“Though I do have to question what you were doing in such an establishment.”

“I don’t think they were scrutinizing my ID so much as my ass, Deputy. Besides,” she smiles viciously. “As I recall, we’re not in your jurisdiction.”

“Luckily for you, Mars.” He nods. “Duncan.”

“Sheriff.”

“Can I speak to you a moment, Mars?”

“I don’t know. Should I have my lawyer present?” She moves toward him, giving Duncan a quick smile of reassurance. They move over toward the building, out of earshot and he leans against the wall, too close to her. “What did you need, Deputy?”

“I didn’t realize that you telling me Logan Echolls wasn’t your boyfriend anymore was just semantics.”

“Aw, did I break your heart?”

“No, Mars. I just expected more from you.” His lips quirk slightly. “I just figured the girl who let Leo down easy because she was hot for her dead best friend’s boyfriend would have a little more class than to sleep with a co-worker while she was dating her dead best friend’s brother.”

“I guess you’d be wrong, wouldn’t you? After all, if I had class, I wouldn’t have slept with you.”

“So, that’s how it’s gonna be?”

He can see her thinking, _you slept with Lilly_. “That’s how it is.”

“Well then, Mars,” he pushes off the wall and strolls away, saluting her loosely. “Be seeing you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted 10-26-05


End file.
